


The Sky Hero

by TheBlueSheep



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Flames as Quirks, Friendship, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Supportive Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), mentions of past bullying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-04-08 04:36:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14097354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlueSheep/pseuds/TheBlueSheep
Summary: Sawada Tsunayoshi is overly nervous and skittish, shaking like he’s about to jump out of his own skin 99.9% of the time. But then he lights his flames and soars the skies, and suddenly there’s no doubt that he’ll grow into a great hero.





	1. First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> BNHA/KHR drabbleish crossover series.

There’s a kid standing in the lobby, right behind the main entrance. He has a piece of paper in his hands and he keeps glancing at it and then around the lobby, looking thoroughly lost.

The boy seems vaguely familiar to Izuku, like he’s seen him before, but can’t quite put a finger on it. He has messy brown hair, he’s short and skinny and overall doesn’t look like he should even be in high school yet. Definitely not in U.A.

But then again, Izuku probably doesn’t look like much, either. Isn’t much, actually.

Anyway, his mother held him up too long in the morning so he’s already running late on his first day. And U.A is _big_. It’ll take him time to find the right classroom. So he rounds the boy and makes it towards where he remembers 1-A to be, according to the floor plans.

He doesn’t get very far at all before he backtracks his steps. The poor boy looks really troubled.

“Hello, are you new here, too?”

The boy flinches and turns, his eyes wide and almost scared for a moment before he relaxes slightly at the sight of Izuku. And Izuku’s hardly the epitome of calm himself, but with how this boy jumped at a simple hello… maybe he’s in general studies? Or support?

“Um. Yes.” Even his voice is soft and quiet. “This place is just so _big_ and I’m horrible with directions as it is. I don’t even know where to _start_.”

“Well, I’m heading towards 1-A, but I think most first year students are around the same area. If you want, we can find it together?”

“1-A? Oh, that means we’re classmates then. If… if you don’t mind me tagging along, then that’d be great.”

Izuku can’t help it, he does a double take. He really, _really_ doesn’t look like a hero.

The boy tilts his head uncertainly and he seems even smaller and slighter like that. He’s even shaking a little and he’s so overly nervous that in an odd way it actually calms Izuku down. At least he’s not the only one freaking out about the first day of school. He’s found a kindred spirit.

He collects himself quickly when the boy pulls back, his whole body tense, like he’s about to run right out the front door. Maybe his nervousness has something to do with his quirk? He could be the most unassuming hero ever.

He tries his best to smile encouragingly. “Well, we’d better get going then. I don’t think the teacher will be too happy if we’re late on our first day. I’m Midoriya Izuku, by the way.”

The kid loosens his stance and even tries to smile. It’s still a bit uncertain around the edges, but there’s warmth there, too. “I’m Sawada Tsunayoshi. It’s nice to meet you, Midoriya-kun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna was born and raised in BNHA world and his flames are treated as a quirk, mostly. He’s not destined to be the Vongola Decimo, but he does have a fate waiting for him to fulfil it. 
> 
> Other KHR characters might or might not show up, but I probably won’t make them permanent characters. We’ll see. 
> 
> Please review and feel free to give me ideas and prompts to fill.
> 
> EDIT 27/03/2018 - Fixed some characterisation mistakes.


	2. Judgement

There are two students who will most likely be expelled this year. Which, all things considered, is a giant leap up from previous years.

The two risking expulsion even look similar. They’re both filled with restless nervous energy, shifting on their feet as Aizawa apprehends them. They’re on the smaller size, though where Midoriya has built up some good muscles, Sawada has none. And while Midoriya is obviously scared of the upcoming tests, Sawada is terrified of everything _except_ the upcoming tests.

Midoriya has trouble reigning in the power of his quirk, which is probably what has him shaking in his shoes. If he uses his quirk, he’ll end up destroying his body. Unless he manages to find a way around it, a quirk with such a high cost isn’t suitable for hero work. It’ll only create more work for other heroes.

Meanwhile, Sawada has a strong quirk and is able to control it just fine, as he demonstrated in the entrance exam. But he jumps whenever someone makes a louder noise and every time Aizawa’s gaze stops on him for more than a few seconds, he shrinks into himself, his entire body tense like he wants to run away. He stays as far away from Bakugou as possible and keeps close to Midoriya and Uraraka, like they would protect him.

Being a hero is fighting a war. Someone whose nerves are as shot as Sawada’s are, isn’t suitable for hero work.

But despite what All Might says, Aizawa isn’t completely heartless. He’ll give everyone an equal chance.

Midoriya scores average in the tests. Above average for a quirkless person, way below average for someone with a strength augmentation quirk. But he finds a way around it and though he busts a finger trying to prove a point, Aizawa buys it. He can stay for the time being. He’s resourceful and will do fine as long as he keeps working hard.

It’s an entirely different deal with Sawada. Each time before a test starts, he takes a deep breath and concentrates, letting the fear and anxiety dissipate for the duration of the test. He bounces right back into being a nervous wreck as soon as the test is over, but his anxiety technically doesn’t work against his test results as much as Aizawa thought it would. And despite him almost having a panic attack every time Bakugou does anything at all, his scores aren’t bad. They’re nothing to write home about either, but he stands firmly somewhere in the middle of the class with nearly every test.

The problem with him is that he barely uses his quirk. He can probably use the fire in some subtle way to boost his physical abilities, but Aizawa sees the bright orange flames licking at his heels only once, during the 50-meter dash test, where he scores quite high. But even that’s probably because he attempted to make up for the pathetic result of the endurance running.

Because that’s the thing. The kid’s got no stamina and he’s putting the bare minimal effort into anything he does. There’s practically no sign of those flashy flames he used to wreck robots in the entrance exam and even his calming down technique, however he does it, only works for a short time.

Aizawa is brutal when it comes to half-assed attempts at becoming a hero, but he’s not heartless. He is aware of the boy’s circumstances and agreed with the others that accepting him into the school is probably the best way to keep him safe, but U.A. is not charity. The teachers are professional heroes, but they’re still human. They can’t make a hero out of nothing. So if he wants to stay, he’ll have to work for it.

As the kid raises the mechanical softball behind his head, Aizawa makes a decision. It’s time to see if there’s anything in this brat or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to keep up once a week update for now. Please comment and feel free to give me ideas and prompts to fill! I can't guarantee that I'll go through with all of them 'cause apparently I _do_ have a vague plot for this fic after all, but still! Prompts are awesome!
> 
> Next chapter: Ocean


	3. Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments! You guys are the best!

“How long are you going to keep screwing around, Sawada?”

The boy doesn’t answer as he puts his hand down, but he looks at him curiously, almost not afraid. It’s the first time he makes eye-contact during one of the tests. Aizawa didn’t notice this before, but his eyes are orange instead of the usual brown.

“If you keep up this pathetic attempt, no matter how high you rank on the scoreboard in the end, I’ll make an exception and expel you for wasting my time.” Brutal, but not heartless. “You haven’t even nearly shown me the limits of what you can do.”

“Oh.” His expression clears as he gets the implication. “My skin isn’t exactly fireproof, so if I go overboard with my flames without proper equipment, I’ll risk serious injury. I kind of accidentally destroyed my fireproof gloves in the entrance exam and haven’t had the chance to replace them yet.”

“But you used your quirk just fine during the 50-meter dash. No noticeable setbacks.”

“Yes. But I took a risk with that. If I don’t have total control over my flames, I’ll get burned.”

How did he think that Midoriya and Sawada were similar? They’re the exact opposites. But it’s not exactly a bad thing.

“Knowing your limits is good, but you can’t always play safe in this line of work, Sawada. You’ll have to take risks whether you like it or not. So if you _can_ control it, then do. If you can’t, then do the best you can. Just don’t make it half-assed again. That really annoys me.”

He nods slowly, thoughtfully. “So basically… Plus Ultra?”

“Of course. It’s a hero academia, not a circus show.”

“Okay… Maybe there’s something…” He trails off as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them again, a flame ignites on his brow and he looks sharper than ever as he tests the weight of the ball by bouncing it up and down in his hand a few times. His eyes glow bright orange to match the flame on his brow and finally there’s no trace of doubt in his features.

Chatter breaks out among the other students. Some recognise him from the exam, while the others are surprised by the change in demeanour.

Suddenly he throws the ball straight up in the air. While it’s falling, he pulls his right arm back and forms a firm fist. Exactly the moment the ball reaches eye level, he lets flames burst into life around his fist and _punches_ it as hard as he can.

Bakugou’s fire is noise and explosions and sheer power, like an active volcano.

Sawada’s fire is quiet, nearly silent, and as powerful as the ocean.

He falls on his butt after the punch and cradles his hand gingerly to his chest as the flame on his brow snuffles out. Apparently he could control the fire well enough because his hand is not burnt or even blistered, but the recoil was probably bad enough to cause some pain. He even murmurs something that sounds like, ‘Huh, it worked,’ like he doesn’t fully believe it.

But _this_ is something Aizawa can work with.

The device in his hand beeps. “627.8 meters. You still didn’t put your everything into it, but it’ll do for now, Sawada. But next time you half-ass something, I’ll still have you expelled.”

Sawada doesn’t answer, but he beams up at him and there’s silent determination in his – now brown again – eyes. He gets up slowly and carefully dusts himself off with one hand.

That’s when all hell breaks loose. Again.

“Dude, what the hell?! Did you just _punch_ the ball?! That’s so manly!”

“I remember you now! You’re the crazy fire kid from the exam! It was so bright!”

“You have a fucking fire quirk? I’ll enjoy murdering you.”

“That’s… not very hero-like…”

Sawada _eep_ s at the yelling and pulls his head between his shoulders.

“I just, um. If I had thrown it like, like… um…” He slinks further away from Bakugou. “The recoil would’ve, uh, worked against me and sent me flying, so… uhhhh…” he stammers as he tries to escape the attention.

So there was conscious thought and precise calculation put into what he did, too. Aizawa quietly wonders what the kid could do with a little practise and those gloves he mentioned.

Now if only he would lose some of the anxiety. And work on his non-existent stamina. And get his bodyweight up a bit. Being small is fine, but the kid looks like a stronger breeze could knock him over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna’s logic – can’t throw it? Punch it instead! 
> 
> And Tsuna did something in the entrance exam that made people call him 'crazy fire kid'.
> 
> Please leave a comment on your way out. They make me really happy!


	4. Names

Uraraka has to admit, she’s feeling a bit giddy. Her first day at U.A. has so far been a huge success. The school itself is amazing, the teachers are the coolest and she’s pretty sure she even caught a glimpse of All Might! And the very best part of it all is that she found so many potential friends!

Speaking of which, she’s just spotted a couple of them heading out the school gates. They’re probably heading for the station, which is where she’s going, so it’s just perfect.

“Heey, guys! You’re going to the station, right? Wait for me!”

“You’re the ‘Infinity’ girl,” the tall boy says.

That’s a funny way to remember her. Not that she minds it, but it would probably be best to introduce herself properly. But before she can, a third person just leaving the school grounds catches her interest. He’s small, probably no taller than she is, and has messy brown hair.

“Hey, are you going to the station too?” she calls out. The boy flinches and Uraraka makes a quick mental note to avoid scaring him unnecessarily in the future.

“Er. Yes?” he answers, but it sounds more like a question.

“Then let’s walk together! I’m Uraraka Ochako.” She takes a breath and starts from where she can remember, which is the tall boy. “You’re, uhh… Iida Tenya and Midoriya Deku—”

“Deku!?”

“Is it not Deku? Wasn’t the explosion kid calling you like that?”

“Well, actually—“

She doesn’t like learning that ‘Deku’ was meant as an insult because it doesn’t sound like one to her. It gives her the feeling that anything is possible if you try hard enough. It fits him. He saved her in the entrance exam. He can do anything. Deku is what feels _right_ with him.

It comes as a nice surprise when Deku suddenly agrees with her. And it’s really funny how he turns an interesting shade of red and starts mumbling under his breath.

Then she turns to the third boy. He’s considering Deku with something that looks like slight compassion and… admiration? She files that thought away to be analysed later.

“And you are Sawada… umm…” she trails off, not remembering hearing Sawada’s given name.

“It’s Tsunayoshi,” he helps quietly. He’s smiling faintly, but everything about him, how he has his arms crossed over his chest and how he’s shifting his weight from one foot to the other like he’s ready to run, it all feels careful and guarded.

Also, she has to admit that neither ‘Sawada’ nor ‘Tsunayoshi’ feels right with him. He looks too cute for one and too plain for the other. And if Midoriya is Deku, then…

“How about Tsuna?”

He freezes, his breath caught up in his throat and eyes wide in surprise. Something flickers across his face for the briefest of moments, something that feels so utterly and inconsolably… _sad_.

“Sorry, is it not good? I just think it suits you…”

Tsuna’s guarded mask cracks a bit, letting a brighter, truer expression glimmer through. “No, no, it’s okay! I-I’d like that! I’d, uh, actually prefer that to my surname, if it’s not too much to ask…”

“Then Tsuna it is!” She beams at him and he flinches again, but it’s not out of fear this time. His cheeks are a bit red.

The others agree as well. They don’t ask why he prefers a nickname to his surname. If Tsuna is what he likes, then that’s fine.

The four of them chat all the way to the station. Deku knows a lot (a little too much, maybe) about different heroes and their quirks and gives them a quick rundown on how Aizawa-sensei’s quirk works. Iida is very honest and diligent, already wondering about what tomorrow’s lesson with All Might will bring and if they’ll get to use their quirks again. Tsuna is… quiet, mostly. He wonders about Deku’s finger only once and keeps his answers short when someone asks him something. He doesn’t seem to dislike their company, it’s more like he’s just not used to talking to people.

They exchange numbers while waiting for the train. Deku and Tsuna both are oddly cautious about that, but they give in to Iida’s insistence.

Uraraka ends up getting on the same train with Tsuna. They ride in silence, but it’s not uncomfortable. They’re probably both tired and it’s good that Tsuna doesn’t make her feel like she has to force a conversation. They have three years to get to know each other. There’s time.

Tsuna breaks the silence right before their stop comes up. “Uraraka-san? Can I ask you something?” He’s still smiling that distant, not-quite-real smile. “Do you like U.A. so far?”

Uraraka nods vigorously. “I haven’t talked to everyone yet, but our classmates all seem like really nice people. Though, that explosion boy—“

“Bakugou,” Tsuna offers.

She giggles. That name suits him just fine. “Yeah, Bakugou – he’s a bit… intense.”

Tsuna snickers quietly and his slight smile turns into a real one as he touches the pocket he keeps his phone in. “Yeah. They do seem nice.”

They part ways right outside the station after a short goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uraraka collects sad broken kids and makes them aaaallll better. And I know things are progressing slowly, but just hang in there. I’m in the middle of planting stuff that’ll be relevant later.
> 
>  **Important!!**  
>  Who do you guys want Tsuna to fight against in the mock battle? Midoriya, Bakugou, Uraraka, and Iida are not an option because their battle was important to the plot and I don’t wanna change that. Everyone else is fine. So just write your vote in the comments or hit me with a message or whatever. Anything goes. I’ll pit the one with most votes against Tsuna, but I’ll leave myself the creative freedom to choose Tsuna’s teammate and his opponent’s teammate. The vote closes next Friday right after I put up the new chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> _Next chapter: Masquerade_


	5. Masquerade

“Deku-kun! Your costume is so cool! It looks really practical too!”

“Woaah, Uraraka-san! Y-you’re so… so…” Izuku can’t take it, he hides his face into his hands and looks away. He’s blushing, he knows he is. Good thing his hood and mask cover it up.

“Haha, yeah.” Uraraka runs a hand through her hair nervously. “I wish I would’ve drawn my request sketch a bit better. My costume came out a bit puffy.”

“Heroics is the best,” Mineta whispers from the side and runs off somewhere and all it does, is make Izuku even more flustered.

“I think your costume looks great, Uraraka-san!” a quiet voice says from behind them. “Yours too, Midoriya-kun! Ah, and Iida-kun is really cool over there.”

Tsuna has warmed up a little to Izuku and Uraraka and even Iida, though he still flinches when Iida gets too loud too suddenly. He avoids all potential conflict at all cost and prefers to stay quiet in conversations unless he’s directly addressed like he’s not sure if his contribution would be welcomed. The fact that he spoke up to them first this time must be a good thing.

“Tsuna-kun! Is that… Um…”

Black woollen vest, white dress shirt under it, and a simple black tie. Black jeans with a silver chain hanging from the belt and orange Converse. Izuku doesn’t know how to say it.

“Is it a school uniform, Tsuna?” Uraraka helps him out.

Tsuna smiles briefly, stiffly, and buries his face in his hands, the tips of his ears turning bright red.

“Aah, this is so embarrassing! Everyone has these super cool and creative costumes, but I have a school uniform. I just wrote ‘simple and easy to move in, nothing too flashy’ on my request. I didn’t know they’d send me an almost perfect replica of my middle school uniform!”

“Ah, no, I didn’t mean it like that! I actually think it looks good on you, Tsuna! It was just a little unexpected, but it’s very stylish!”

“Yeah!” Izuku tries to support. “And it’ll be really easy for you to blend in with the crowd like that. You could become the master of sneak attacks!”

“It’s not that. I don’t particularly care what it looks like as long as it’s functional. What actually bothers me…” Tsuna’s shoulders slump as he sighs dejectedly. “It’s the same size I had in middle school. I haven’t grown at all…”

“Young Sawada!” Izuku sputters at the sudden appearance of All Might, while Tsuna shrieks and jumps high up in the air. Uraraka doesn’t even blink. All Might takes it all in a stride. “I’d give you a ten for that jump, but you really should try to relax, my boy,” he says simply.

“Yes, sensei,” Tsuna sighs weakly, still holding a hand over his heart.

“Anyway, the support group apologises they couldn’t get your gear finished in time. The material you requested is a bit hard to obtain, as you can guess.”

“Uh, yeah. There was a note about that in the suitcase. It’s fine. I honestly didn’t think they’d really go along with it because… well...” He shrugs. “I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t trust me.”

“What happened has nothing to do with you, my boy. The support team will get it done as soon as possible. In the meantime, we got you a temporary substitute.” He pulls out a pair of simple black gloves from… somewhere and throws them to Sawada who fumbles to catch them. “Just fireproof gloves will do, yes?”

“Yes, but…” he frowns worriedly, feeling the material between his fingers. “This feels like they’re really good quality. Is it really okay? I mean, the other gloves should be coming in soon and I know these are not cheap and I might just wreck them again—”

All Might bellows a laugh that echoes all over the students’ chatter. “My boy, there’s no need to worry about that! An expense like this is like a drop of water in the ocean for this school. And it’s not your fault the support team couldn’t finish your request in time.”

“It’s not their fault, either,” Tsuna murmurs, but pulls the gloves on, tugging the clasps on his wrists tight. Wisps of orange fire lick his fingers as he tries them out. “They’re good. Thank you, sensei.”

All Might moves to pat his messy hair, but stops and frowns when he tenses. It’s a reaction Izuku is painfully familiar with.

“No problem, young Sawada,” All Might says instead. “Now, let’s begin the class, shall we?”

He marches back to the front of the class. Tsuna looks after him thoughtfully.

“Tsuna? Is there something wrong?”

“Eh? Ah, no, it’s nothing. Just… Don’t you think that All Might-sensei looks a bit… off?”

Uraraka turns to look at All Might as Izuku sucks in a sharp breath. Does Tsuna know?

“Off how? I think he looks as buff as always,” she says.

Tsuna glances at Izuku. Then he shrugs. “Just my imagination, I guess. Maybe he caught a cold,” he adds quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna’s intuition: “This guy’s lungs are fucked up to all hell and he has no stomach.”  
> Tsuna: “Oh, maybe he has a cold.”
> 
> Um. I'll do things a bit differently next time there's a poll, I promise.  
> Anyway, all votes got counted and Todoroki won with whopping 11 votes! (The rest is a bit too confusing to make heads or tails out of it, but Yaoyorozu got second place.) Thank you all who voted! And thank you all who left feedback or kudos! You're all awesome!


	6. Stumble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mentions of past bullying.

Tsuna’s actually feeling great today, which is kind of weird because he’s never felt good in school as far as he can remember. Midoriya and Uraraka and Iida were all really nice yesterday and they even greeted him this morning and didn’t act as if the ground he was walking on was disgusting. Aizawa-sensei is a bit scary, but he’s kind in his own way and all the other teachers he’s met so far have been genuine and helpful.

It actually feels like he’s been given a chance to change things and Tsuna really, really wants to try his best this time. Maybe it’ll finally be that successful fresh start in a new school he’s been longing for however many years.

Even the upcoming mock battle hasn't dampened his mood, though Midoriya's display of courage was frankly quite terrifying. But he's safely in the infirmary with Recovery Girl and Tsuna feels quite cheerful as he tries to etch the building layout into his brain. Ojiro is doing the same thing next to him, with a small frown on his brow.

They haven’t talked yet and Tsuna thinks he should try to build at least a neutral relationship with him. Maybe they can discuss the infiltration plan.

“Your quirk is your tail, right, Ojiro-kun?” he asks. Quirks are usually a topic people don’t mind talking about.

But Ojiro stills, slightly scrunching up the layout map in his hands.

“Not much of a quirk, is it?” he says finally, and suddenly Tsuna feels that familiar sharp sting of panic under his lungs.

He quickly shoves the paper back into his pocket and talks fast, hoping to rectify his mistake. “Ah, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought that it’s amazing how you’ve accommodated your tail into your style. In martial arts, I mean. Um…”

He trails off as Ojiro looks more and more bewildered with each idiotic word that leaves his mouth. Tsuna turns his gaze to the dandelions growing from the cracks in the concrete. He doesn’t want to see that bewildered expression change into hate and disgust.

So much for a fresh start. First time he tries talking to a person first and he screws up so bad that the other thinks he is somehow belittling his quirk.

He obviously got too brave when Midoriya and Uraraka didn’t tell him off for speaking. And now Ojiro hates him for running his stupid mouth without being asked. It won’t be long until the rest of the class learns how no-good he is and then it’ll be another three years of living hell.

It’s not unexpected. He’s Dame-Tsuna, after all. All he can do now is hope that the panic that’s twisting and rolling deep in his chest will at least let him complete the lesson. And he should at least try to apologise while people still listened.

But before he can, Ojiro laughs quietly and Tsuna whips his head back up. He fully expects to see Ojiro’s absolutely furious, but he… doesn’t look angry at all? He looks happy?

“You noticed my style, Sawada?” he asks with a wide pleased grin.

That… _is_ unexpected. Tsuna doesn’t know what to do now.

“Er, yeah? Yesterday. Sorry,” he apologises meekly.

“What for? I’m impressed you could tell from such brief tests. Do you practice martial arts, too?”

Tsuna shakes his head slowly, releasing some of the breath stuck in his throat. “Some hand-to-hand, but I’m not very good at it. I really think your quirk is super cool. Honest.”

“It’s just a tail. Your quirk is much cooler.”

He shrugs. “It’s just flashy. Nothing more.”

Ojiro pokes his shoulder lightly with the tip of his tail, but it’s a friendly gesture and not aimed to hurt. It makes the panic in his chest uncoil and Tsuna feels a bit lightheaded from the slowly spreading relief.

“I saw what you did during the entrance exam. You can’t call that ‘just flashy’.”

Tsuna winces. “I… uh, can we _please_ not talk about that?” He shudders as he remembers. “God, I could’ve died.”

Ojiro starts saying something, a wide amused grin stretched across his face, but just then All Might announces the start of the battle. The announcement ends and they both start towards the entrance.

“We don’t have a plan,” Ojiro says. “Shall we just improvise?”

Tsuna opens his mouth to answer, but suddenly feels a rush of extremely cold air against his face. He immediately grabs Ojiro’s sleeve and drags the confused martial artist back outside. A few seconds later the entrance freezes over entirely. The solid ice quickly forms into a cap that effectively blocks their way inside. A few first floor windows crack and shatter from the abrupt change of temperature.

Ojiro whistles quietly, poking at the ice that’s glistening under the spring sun. “That’s Endeavor’s son for you. Did he freeze the entire building like this?”

Tsuna takes another step back and looks up. There’s a layer of frost on most of the wall. He points where the ice ends abruptly.

“Just up until fifth floor.”

“So the weapon is somewhere on the fifth floor, huh? And both Todoroki and Shoji should be there too, unless they’re aiming for a surprise attack in these conditions.”

Tsuna nods, biting his lip. The new gloves are good, but he still needs to limit his power output a lot and he can feel just how _cold_ Todoroki’s ice is from several meters away. It’d take too much energy.

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t think I can melt us a path all the way up there in 15 minutes if it’s frozen solid like this.”

Ojiro hums thoughtfully as he examines the building. “Look, the rest of the windows are frozen, but not blocked. He probably only iced the first floor. Could you do it if we were higher up?”

“I, uh, could try?”

“Okay. No offense, but you don’t look very heavy. I can probably get us up to second floor at least.”

“Ooh, good idea. Um, could you get to third floor without the extra weight?”

“Sure. You got something in mind?”

“Not really. I just can get up there by myself. Though, it’d probably be best if you went first. I haven’t done this for a long time.”

Ojiro nods and slams his tail against the ground so hard that Tsuna can feel the vibrations through his feet. Ojiro shoots up and grabs onto the windowsill on the third floor and for a startling moment he almost loses his grip on the icy surface, but hooks his fingers behind some of the icicles. The window opens with some force and Ojiro slips inside.

As soon as he’s gone, Tsuna takes a deep breath and activates his flames. They sputter a little from the mental rollercoaster he just went through, but are stable enough to use. He aims a burst of concentrated flames from both his hands towards the ground, using it as a boost.

He’s seriously out of practise and it still feels awkward using his flames where other people can see, so he messes up the power output slightly and almost misses the window, barely managing to grip the upper edge of it and fling himself inside. Of course he gracefully slips on the ice and hits the back of his head hard against the ground, just like a true hero would.

“You okay?” Ojiro asks and Tsuna waves him off with a quiet thanks, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. Good thing he had his flames up or it could’ve ended with a concussion.

The temperature is ridiculously low in the room and Tsuna has to crank up the passive flames to protect himself. Ojiro also has his arms wrapped around himself, trying to ward off the piercing cold.

The entire floor is the same – frigid and frozen, but not solid ice like the first floor was. They run towards the staircase with Ojiro leading the way and Tsuna right behind him. Just as they make it to the steps, Tsuna feels another icy breeze coming from upstairs and he quickly grabs Ojiro’s sleeve to stop him.

He raises both hands above his head and forms a flame barrier around both of them. A moment later the ice on the walls starts to grow rapidly. It surrounds them completely, but luckily doesn’t get past the fire. The ice is powerful and relentless and Tsuna feels the strain on his flames even though Todoroki’s obviously holding himself back, not wanting to crush them by accident.

The assault ends as suddenly as it begun and Tsuna immediately lets his flames go out, leaving them in cold damp darkness with only ice surrounding them. He presses both smoking gloves against the smooth surface of the ice next to him. They sizzle quietly as he feels them melt shallow hand-shaped indents into it, but the gloves did their job well because his hands only hurt a little.

“Uh, thanks for the cover,” Ojiro whispers through the darkness. “You okay though, Sawada?”

“Yeah, just give me a moment.”

The gloves cool down quickly and as soon as they do, he lights a low energy flame in his palm.

“ _Merda_ ,” Tsuna curses under his breath, as the flame grows enough to illuminate their surroundings. Ojiro is pale and quiet as he traces a hand over the ice.

They’re trapped in a solid ice bubble and the orange of his flame reflects off the smooth walls, giving it a somewhat eerie appearance. It’s kind of like sitting inside a snow globe, but without the plastic snow or the creepy little Santa statues.

Todoroki’s obviously too powerful and if he went at it with his full power, then Tsuna wouldn’t be able to counter him without wrecking the gloves and his hands right after.

He’s honestly terrified to death and would much rather run away from the root of the problem than towards it, but he promised himself he would stop doing that since he entered this school. Running away isn’t something a hero would do. Besides, if he ran, it wouldn’t be only his failure, it’d affect Ojiro, too.

So even though it’s a hopeless battle (like all of his battles have been so far), Tsuna gathers up all the courage he has and forces up a smile.

“Well, good thing my flames don’t consume oxygen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dammit, calm down, Edgelord Tsuna. They’re not gonna bully you.
> 
> Todoroki is ridiculously powerful and Tsuna has a loooong way to go. Basically, all of you who wanted Tsuna to fight against mister Spite-Is-A-Good-Motivator are mean so I gave him Ojiro who can hopefully calm him down. 
> 
> Anyway, I wanted to divide this chapter into two parts because it got too long again, but then I figured that you guys have been so patient with me and totally deserve a treat. So yeah, to thank you for all the kudos and feedback, longer chapter! (Don’t get used to it. This shit’s exhausting.)
> 
> _Next chapter: Todoroki’s middle name is Elsa._


	7. Breakthrough

_“Sawada, Ojiro, I’ve lost visual on you. Can you still move?”_ All Might’s voice crackles through the earpiece.

“Can we still move, more like, do we _want_ to move?” Ojiro mumbles dubiously. He slams his tail against the ice experimentally. A crack forms, but it ultimately doesn’t do much.

“If you want to forfeit, then I’m okay with it,” Tsuna says. He has to fully light his flames to melt the ice, and that strains him a lot. Climbing two floors like this would be exhausting, but doable.

“I’m virtually useless here, so it’s up to you. You want to keep going?”

“We should surrender if you don’t want to.”

For some reason Ojiro sighs heavily. “You’re really not used to this, are you?”

Tsuna frowns. Used to what? To infiltrating buildings? Would be weird if he _was_ used to it.

“ _I will tell young Todoroki to pull back_.”

“Hold on a moment, sensei,” Ojiro says into the microphone, then turns back to Tsuna. “Listen, Sawada. We’re a team. I can keep Shoji busy if we get past this, but there’s not much I can do about Todoroki. You’re the one with firepower. Literally. So do you think we have a chance if we keep on going?”

“If Todoroki-kun’s fire is as powerful as his ice, then I probably can’t counter that. Though, something felt weird about that…”

Todoroki used the ice to complete all the tests yesterday, not using fire once even though it could’ve fit the situation better. Tsuna shakes his head. There’s no time to get distracted.

“Shoji-kun is also very strong. I think he can tell our location very accurately so a surprise attack will be impossible.”

“But..?” Ojiro prompts patiently.

“But Midoriya-kun didn’t give up either,” Tsuna says quietly.

Midoriya, whose quirk is so painfully, _agonisingly wrong_ for his body, kept going until he _won_. He broke his body along the way, but Tsuna still wishes he had at least a fraction of his bravery. But no. Despite the mental boost his flames give him, the fire in his palm goes out as soon as he finishes saying those words. It takes him a few seconds to work up the courage to light it again.

When light floods their ice prison again he sees Ojiro frowning at his palm. Tsuna keeps his expression neutral, hoping that he will just write it off as a normal thing that happens.

“You’re right, Sawada,” he says despite his furrowed brow. “Heroes shouldn’t give up without trying their best.”

Tsuna can’t help but to smile as Ojiro raises a hand to speak into the microphone again.

“We’re still moving, sensei.”

There’s a moment of silence before All Might’s crackling voice answers, “ _Good luck, boys_.”

“Well then,” Ojiro gestures to the ice, “fire away, Sawada.”

Tsuna nods and takes a deep breath. It feels weird to not be immediately dismissed, but it’s a good kind of weird.

“Stay behind me. I’ll keep the temperature low, but I don’t want to accidentally burn you.”

Ojiro obediently falls behind him as Tsuna lets the rush of flames calm him. He doesn’t like it when people walk behind him or when they see him using his quirk too much, but Ojiro’s only been friendly this whole time and even _listened_ to him. Tsuna wants to trust him.

Climbing the stairs is tedious and tiring work and Tsuna has to switch hands several times, letting one glove cool off against the ice wall while the other melts a path. It’s a bit like venturing inside an ice castle, the frozen walls glimmering in the orange of Tsuna’s flames. He almost expects to encounter a minor enemy or a treasure chest.

The ice gets denser as they climb, too, confirming his guess that Shoji knew their exact location. It takes increasingly more energy to keep the flames up and Tsuna can feel his core growing colder with each minute, but the temperature regulator inside the woollen vest is doing a good job at keeping him warm. He’ll still want to snuggle up with blankets and hot tea after this is over, though. Not that he can, but the thought of it is nice.

There’s no abrupt change in environment once they make it to the fifth floor, but Tsuna stops to think. The fire in his hair is enough to give them light, so he doesn’t have to worry about that.

“Does it hurt?” Ojiro whispers behind him and Tsuna almost jumps.

“Um, not exactly.”

Well, the cold in his chest keeps spreading and his hands are overheated, but it’s not too bad yet.

“I think we only have a few minutes left, so I’ll do the rest of it in one go. I think they’re in the middle room, but, er, I’ll probably be out of commission for a few seconds after this.”

“Okay. I’ll cover you however I can, but there’s not much I can do if Todoroki freezes me.”

Tsuna smiles. “Thanks, Ojiro-kun. Um. Stand against the ice, close your eyes, and do not move, please.”

Ojiro does that and Tsuna takes a deep breath. He’ll have to melt it all the way up to the ceiling to avoid Ojiro getting hit by any falling clumps of ice. Hopefully the gloves will still be in one piece after this. Fighting Todoroki without them would suck.

He memorises Ojiro’s exact location and the distance to the middle room to avoid hurting anyone. He waits a few more seconds until he has the best control over his flames that he can get, letting them gather up in his hands. It’s not about force this time, not like in the entrance exam. It’s about power and control, and Tsuna’s got both when the push comes to shove.

Then he lets go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna would be so shit at stealthy night missions. His hair is literally on fire. 
> 
> Please comment!
> 
> _Next chapter: Let it go~_


	8. Push or Pull

The sudden gaping _empty_ in his chest leaves him gasping for breath, struggling to stand, and blinking away the black spots in his vision.

Tsuna only knows the ice is gone because Ojiro pats him on the shoulder and mutters a brief ‘thanks’ near his ear, though he can barely hear him through the sound of his own thundering heartbeat, and how hazy and distant everything is reminds Tsuna exactly why using this much energy at once is an incredibly stupid idea.

He really should start working on his stamina.

But now is not the time to whine. Ojiro needs backup and there’s probably only a minute or two left.

He shakes his head to clear his vision and coughs to jumpstart his lungs into working properly again.

Finally he forces his head up, just in time to see a small mountain of ice moving towards him like a speeding train. Tsuna doesn’t stop to think. Dragging out the last remnants of his flames feels a lot like ripping off fingernails, but the vest is fending off worst of the coldness around his heart.

He ignores the stiffness in his hands and jumps up, narrowly avoiding a collision with the ceiling. Todoroki’s reaction time is top-notch, and the mountain shakes and grows higher as he tries to pin Tsuna to the ceiling even before he’s fully perched on the top of it. Tsuna pulls up even more of his flames and slips over the mountain. He briefly comes face to face with a surprised Todoroki and then slides towards his fire side, the one that’s encased in ice.

Todoroki spins around, trying to capture Tsuna with another ice attack, but he’s slow. The boy is way slower than he should be and Tsuna only has to use a small amount of flames to keep up with his speed and still has time left to look for an opening in his opponent’s defence.

The same dance keeps up for a few more moments and then Todoroki has obviously had enough of chasing Tsuna. He suddenly drops down and sweeps his leg around, trying to trip him, but Tsuna just jumps over the leg – and that’s when he sees his opening.

He pulls out the tape from his sleeve, hidden there for easy access, and reaches out with one hand, grasping for Todoroki’s shoulder. Todoroki pulls it out of the way and instead brings his right hand up and Tsuna can see almost in slow motion how a sheen of frost appears on his palm.

But Tsuna counted on exactly that. If he can now isolate Todoroki’s hand, it should distract him just long enough for Tsuna to wrap the capture tape safely around his wrists.

So Tsuna meets his opponent’s right hand with his left and concentrates on forming a tight ball of flames, except… the familiar heat in his hands doesn’t come. He desperately _yanks_ on his frozen core, but all he gets for his effort is a few bright orange sparks running over his gloved fingers.

Then he’s out of time and the mountain of ice crashes into his chest with its full force.

He doesn’t see what happens next. The black has completely taken over his vision. But the next thing he senses, is someone wrapping strong arms tightly around him and Tsuna automatically lets go the last of his flames, but doesn’t stop struggling. He doesn’t want to risk accidentally burning anyone, but he _can’t breathe_ and he _needs_ air or he’s going to _die_ …

The earpiece whines for a moment before All Might’s booming voice sounds through it. “ _Time’s up! Villain team wins!_ ”

The hands release him immediately. Tsuna sinks on his knees and sucks in deep breaths, appreciating the flow of oxygen in his lungs no matter how painful it is. Someone is calling his name from somewhere and Tsuna tries to react. He needs to get up and get away from here before the others think of any new ways to torture him.

Someone’s hand lands on his shoulder and he tries to shake it off, but whoever’s holding him down is way stronger than he is.

Another kind of empty spreads inside his chest, accompanying the empty of his drained core. It’s the kind of empty he knows so well. He’s terrified to death and he can’t do anything about it because his body just _isn’t listening_ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating sooner. Didn't have much motivation to write this story. Or anything at all. Life's been Insane and I got a job and then I left the job to move to another country and now I have another job and also I'm on another continent entirely and uh. I've been a bit tired. I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner.
> 
> Please please comment! I live (and write) for comments!


	9. Fluffy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! Thank you all who have supported me so far! I hope we can all have a really fucking cool 2019!

Izuku wakes up the next morning feeling more tired than he’s used to. He has to convince his mother that he is good enough for school by pretending to not almost fall asleep during breakfast. It’s hard work, but it’s only his third day of school and he can’t afford to miss a day so early in.

So he puts on his blazer with the help of his mother and, with some final assurances thrown over his shoulder about being _fine, mom,_ and _yes, I can get to school by myself, mom,_ he walks briskly down to street towards the train station. He’d jog, but he needs his energy levels as high as they can be for Recovery Girl to finish healing his arms.

He stops abruptly about halfway to the station when he sees a small figure in a familiar uniform crouching in the middle of the walkway, apparently arguing with a large and very fluffy pale orange cat.

“ _No! Vai a casa_!” Tsuna says loudly, pointing his finger in the direction of an apartment building and… that’s the loudest Izuku has ever heard him speak even if he doesn’t understand what he just said. Well, they’ve only known each other for three days, but still. It’s weird to notice things like that.

The cat sits up and grabs his wrist with two paws, rubbing its face against his hand. Tsuna drops his head on his knees and groans.

“Good morning, Tsuna-kun,” he says as he walks up to him, plastering a smile on his face, hoping that it’ll hide how tired he is.

Except Tsuna blinks up at him dazedly, doing absolutely nothing to hide how he is definitely _not_ a morning person. There are huge dark circles under his eyes and his hair is even more messed up than it usually is. Izuku even sees some sleep wrinkles on his cheek.

It takes Tsuna a few long moments to recognise who’s talking to him. But then his eyes go wide.

“Are you okay?” he asks, gaze fixed to his bandaged arms.

“Ah, yeah, I’m alright,” Izuku says, flexing the arm that’s not in the cast. “My emergy levels are just a bit too low right now so Recovery Girl couldn’t heal it all in one go. I think she’ll do it today, though.”

“Do you– _lasciami andare, Natsu!_ ” He pries his hand free from the cat’s hold with some difficulty and stands. “I could, uh, help carry your bag?”

“No, no, that’s not necessary! I mean, thank you, but it’s my own fault my arms are busted, so it’s okay. It’s not heavy anyway.”

Tsuna frowns. He starts saying something, but the cat chooses that moment to meow loudly. Tsuna shushes it sharply.

 “Is this your cat?” Izuku squats down and reaches one hand out towards the cat. The cat silently slinks to hide behind Tsuna’s legs, peering cautiously at Izuku.

“Yeah, this is Natsu. Sorry, he’s a bit of a coward around new people. And he _should_ be home annoying Mama or destroying the couch or plotting world domination or something, and _not_ out here, annoying everyone else.”

“…World domination?”

Tsuna’s sigh turns into a wide yawn and ends with him dragging a hand over his face tiredly.

“He’s a cat,” he says like it explains everything. Natsu edges closer to Izuku’s hand and sniffs his fingers. After a moment of hesitation he smashes his furry face flat against his palm, purring loudly and demanding to be petted. Izuku has never had a pet, but he likes cats.

“He’s cute, though,” he says, sinking bandaged fingers into the thick fur.

“Yeah, a cute and fluffy sociopath.”

Natsu turns his head towards Tsuna and pokes the tip of his tongue out. Izuku can’t help the _aww_ that escapes his lips. Tsuna just rolls his eyes.

“Don’t you blep me, you incorrigible little charmer. Go home, or you’re not getting any chicken tonight.”

Natsu rubs his face against Izuku’s fingers one more time and then trots away, head and tail held proudly up in the air with as much grace as a cat can muster. Which, apparently, is a _lot_.

Tsuna huffs. “Honestly, sometimes I think he can understand me. But only when I talk about food.”

“Will he be okay by himself?”

Tsuna shrugs. “Yeah, he knows which door to scratch. I’ll just text mom so she’ll know to expect him. And, uh, sorry if he got hair on your clothes.”

Izuku brushes off Tsuna’s concern, but does accept a balancing hand as he stands up. Getting up when your one arm is in a cast and the other heavily bandaged is way harder than he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. I don't know Italian, but I Googled all phrases as much as I could. But still, if I fuck anything up, please tell me!
> 
> So Tsuna seems fine the next morning, if a bit tired. I'll get back on what happened after the fight a little later, don't worry. Everything is going as planned.
> 
> This chapter was supposed to have more stuff in it but it would've gotten too long so I cut it in half again. Natsu deserves his own chapter anyway. Hopefully I can update soon.  
> Please comment if you like it!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also on [Tumblr](http://thabluesheep.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ThaBlueSheep).


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